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EARTHRACE TRIMARAN DOCKS IN PALAU

Submitted by admin on Tue, 05/01/2007 - 00:00

By Bernadette H. Carreon

KOROR, Palau (Palau Horizon, May 1) – The much-anticipated Earthrace boat docked at 7 a.m. yesterday at the Neco Marine, making Palau the 41st day of its quest to set the world record for circumnavigating globe by a powerboat.

[PIR editor’s note: According to its official website, Earthrace is a bid to break the world record for circumnavigating the globe in a powerboat, and using only renewable fuels. The program includes an 18-month tour calling at 60 of the world’s great cities, promoting fuels like biodiesel, and raising awareness about sustainable use of resources.]

Vice President Elias Camsek Chin and Paramount Chief Yutaka Gibbons led a simple ceremony to welcome the crew.

Prior to Palau, the boat was in Majuro, Marshall Islands and will continue to Singapore.

The crew will stay for 24 hours to make some repairs on the boat.

Chin said the boat’s stop in Palau will help promote the country, Pete Bethune, the boat’s skipper assured the vice president that Palau will get its share of promotion.

The Earthrace boat is an 80-foot trimaran which runs purely on biodiesel.

Bethune said the boat is built to handle rough seas because it is specifically designed to pierce through waves rather than go over them.

The boat is trying to beat the current record of 75 days, and the crew started its attempt on March 10 from Barbados, then San Diego, California Hawaii, Majuro, and Palau.

Pacific Islands Report is a nonprofit news publication of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Offered as a free service to readers, PIR provides an edited digest of news, commentary and analysis from across the Pacific Islands region, Monday - Friday.